Paris: Lukas Maertens secured his first Olympic gold medal in the men’s 400 meters freestyle at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, overcoming a final filled with world champions. Maertens touched the wall with a time of 3:41.78, edging out Australian Elijah Winnington by 0.43 seconds. South Korea’s Kim Woo-min finished third at La Defense Arena.
The 22-year-old from Magdeburg entered the race with the fastest time of the year and lived up to expectations, becoming the first German to win the event since Uwe Dassler’s victory for East Germany at the 1988 Seoul Games.
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Maertens’ triumph marks a significant breakthrough, erasing his previous near-misses, including two bronze medals and a silver from the last three World Championships. He executed a powerful start, taking an early lead over world champions Kim, Winnington, and Australia’s Sam Short.
Maintaining a pace close to the world record, Maertens held off a strong finish by Winnington, who earned his second Olympic medal.
